Australian Labor gains ground in latest poll

A new poll published in Fairfax newspaper on Monday showed Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard is closing the gap on Opposition Leader Tony Abbott as preferred prime minister, and Labor government is narrowing the Coalition's lead. The Nielsen poll of 1400 Australian voters, taken between last Thursday and Saturday, showed Gillard has drawn level with Abbott as preferred prime minister for the first time since June, with each leader on 45 percent. This represents a three-point rise in Gillard's preferred Prime Minister rating. Gillard's approval rating is up six percentage points to 39 percent, while Abbott's approval has remained steady at 41 percent. On a two-party preferred vote, Labor is catching up on with the coalition leading 55 to 45 percent. This compared to the poll result in July, where the coalition leads Labor on 61-39. However, Labor's primary vote is languishing at 30 percent in the latest poll meaning that the government would still loss an election if it was held now. Federal Trade Minister Craig Emerson hailed the bounce back, saying that it is in the right direction. Voters were worried Opposition Leader Tony Abbott had no policy plans, he said, and that voters wanted leadership not negativity. The poll also showed 53 percent Australians support the government's mining tax, while 38 percent are opposed.